Lula Wins Brazil!
The country's working and middle class pulled through to protect democracy and stand up for human rights.
In a tight, highly contested election, Brazil chose to uphold democracy and make a stand against racism, sexism and classism this Sunday, October 30th, when it elected former leftist president Lula da Silva to the executive office. This win for Lula is well needed after what may consider a disastrous Bolsonaro administration.
The tension between Bolsonaro and Lula represents what has been perceived as a growing division between the country’s largely white evangelical class and its huge, largely mixed-race working class. Brazil’s election, for this reason, has been watched around the world today as many have anticipated the victory of the labor-friendly Lula.
Through voter suppression and all, the Brazilian working class managed to claim what is theirs today. They managed to claim the right to exist, the right to participate in government, and the right to self-determination. Today, Lula’s supporters told the world that they’re tired of being counted out.
Hopefully, Lula’s victory marks a new era of inclusivity, equity, and opportunity for ALL Brazilians no matter the color of their skin. There is still much work to be done to combat structural racial and economic inequality, however.
My friend, Brazilian Ananda Oliveira, shares her reaction to Lula’s victory:
After everything we went through today, with all that tension of a possible coup, democracy won at the end of the day. I’m relieved that Lula won the presidency. Not just for me, but for my grandfather and over 600 thousand other people who died in Brazil during the pandemic due to Bolsonaro’s negligence. To all workers, unemployed and poor people that are starving, buying bones from markets to make soup.
As soon as Lula was confirmed tonight as the new president of Brazil, I heard fireworks and songs. In my heart, there was a relief and I felt justice for my grandfather’s death, and for all those victims that died before they could access the vaccine.
Today would be the birthday of an actor named Paulo Gustavo, who was one of the victims of the pandemic and a critic of Bolsonaro’s government. This win is for him too.
Even though we feel that hope won, we must be alert until Lula takes his place as president on January 1st, 2023. We don’t know what Bolsonaro has planned, but we do know he could try to initiate a dictatorship or even a remake of what happened at the U.S. Capitol.
I am happy that hope, truth, and justice won, but alert we all must be until next year.
To democracy!